Middle School Memes for Former and Current 6th, 7th and 8th Graders (October 1, 2026)

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Oct 1, 2026 12:30 PM EDT

The worst years of your life.

If there is one period of my life I would not want to relive, it's middle school. I really went through the wringer emotionally in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, and even though high school wasn't perfect, it was so much better in basically every conceivable way. When you're in the throes of puberty, everything feels like it's the biggest deal in the world, and because the adults around you haven't been through such big emotional changes in decades, it's hard for them to relate to and support what you're going through.

When I was in middle school, it felt like the deck was stacked against me. I had a really nefarious best friend in 7th grade who would put me down all the time and eventually ended up posting really cruel things about me on ask.fm. In 8th grade, I had a dark-sided theatre teacher who scolded me for being "unprofessional" in front of my class. Nearly every day after school in 7th grade, I would go on Tumblr for hours and hours on end, years before "bedrotting" became a popular internet term. Every year, I tried so hard to be the best me I could be, and every year, I failed miserably. It really took until my junior year of high school to feel like I had some sort of control over my life, and even then it was flimsy at best! Becoming an adult was the best thing that ever happened to me, and if I could tell that to my middle school self, she would probably believe me.

The thing about middle school is that adulthood feels a long way off. Telling a 13-year-old that it will get better when they're 18 is cold comfort, because to them, five years feels like an eternity. If you're in middle school, all you can do is try to have as much fun as you can while you're in the eye of the storm. If you can't speed up time, you can at least laugh through it, and these memes will help you do that!

01
I was the former

via serotoninmemes
02
I do not envy all of the middle school teachers out there

via teacherslovehumor
03
Any 12-year-old who is confident enough to do standup comedy in front of her classroom is a legend in my book

via socialstudhub
04
Why would you choose that as your career?

via teachertrauma
05
The Cheese Touch is legendary

via knowyourmeme
06
What's going on with middle school boys circulatory systems to make them like this?

via mamacassplans
07
I would trust an organized 7th grade girl with my grad school study plan any day

via baseballscenefromtwilight
08
What was the most embarassing thing you did when you were in middle school?

via nermalicious2
09
Was 7th grade your worst year of middle school?

via actualmemes
10
Who would you rather reunite with?

via missdwiththetea
11
There's something so satisfying about wearing your new clothes on the first day of school

via booksofbrilliance
12
She is you, she is me, she is all of us

via wakeuppsk
13
That's when the ADHD set in

via succ
14
Middle school is when all different sorts of growth spurts (or lack thereof) happen

via zachxmeme
15
Do you agree?

via menace3k
16
Were you a better student when you were in middle school?

via drfred_phd
17
Do kids these days grow up too fast?

via queer.lake
18
Those were the good old days!

via hotvocalstoday
19
That is a scary thought

via clean.meme.baguette
20
They are in the trenches

via pencilsandpositivity_